The Winnipeg Art Gallery to Celebrate One Hundred Years

The Winnipeg Art Gallery, Canada’s oldest civic art gallery, will celebrate its 100th anniversary from September 2012 through August 2013. Officially opened on December 16, 1912, the WAG has grown with the city into what is now one of the finest art galleries in Canada. The collection includes European and Canadian art, works on paper, photography, decorative arts, contemporary and studio pieces. The WAG also holds the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world.

“This will be the biggest year in the WAG’s history,” says Director Stephen Borys. “While the WAG is known for its award-winning modernist building, its collection of over 25,000 artworks, and its history of impressive exhibitions and programs, it is also much more. It is the people—of all ages and backgrounds—who have made the WAG what it is today.”

For the past two years, more than 70 volunteers have worked with staff to plan a year of unprecedented exhibitions, special events and programs. The dedicated team has an electrifying year planned, unlike anything Winnipeg has ever seen. It all starts on September 29, with the opening of the contemporary exhibition Winnipeg Now (on view until December 31, 2012), followed by Creation & Transformation: Defining Moments in Inuit Art (January-April 2013), telling the story of contemporary Inuit art. Only in Canada: International Masterworks (May-August 2013) brings together a group of 100 outstanding artworks from galleries across Canada. With a host of other Centennial events and plans to be revealed in the coming months, Winnipeg and Manitoba have a lot to celebrate with their WAG.

“Our committee is focused on advocating for art and its sustainability, leaving a legacy for future generations, and engaging the community with this historic milestone,” remarks Lila Goodspeed. “The Gallery is such a vibrant part of the community, we have so many memories to celebrate. We look forward to starting off the next one hundred years with a bang.”